House Foreign Affairs hearing spotlights violence in Nigeria after U.S. redesignates country as CPC
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Summary
Lawmakers, a Nigerian bishop and State Department officials testified Nov. 20 about escalating attacks on communities in Nigeria's Middle Belt and the Trump administration's decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act.
Chairman Smith opened a Nov. 20 House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing by framing the situation in Nigeria as an urgent religious-freedom crisis, saying "Nigeria is ground 0, the focal point of the most brutal and murderous anti-Christian persecution in the world today." He cited multiple hearings and visits and urged targeted action, including sanctions and conditioned assistance.
Bishop Wilfred Chibwa Anagbe of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi testified by Zoom with firsthand accounts of attacks in Benue and Plateau states, describing mass killings, abductions and the destruction of churches and homes. "The CPC designation has brought immense joy, hope and spiritual resilience to communities under siege," he said, and called on the U.S. to press for prosecutions, improve humanitarian assistance and use every available tool to protect civilians.
Ambassador Jonathan Pratt, the State Department's senior bureau official for African Affairs, said the administration's CPC decision "is meant to sharpen minds and attention" and described plans for an interagency action plan that could include diplomacy, sanctions and security cooperation. "We remain open to working together with the Nigerians, but we also expect the Nigerian government to deliver results on the ground," he said.
Deputy Assistant Secretary Jake McGee (Democracy, Human Rights and Labor) told members the department is reviewing existing programming and will consider waivers or adjustments for aid where appropriate. He said some early-warning and intercommunity dialogue programs remain active while the administration evaluates foreign assistance to better focus resources on interventions that save lives.
Members of both parties used the hearing to press two linked points: that some communities in the Middle Belt have been targeted with religiously framed attacks, and that U.S. responses must be calibrated to avoid exacerbating tensions. Representative Jacobs and others warned against oversimplifying the conflicts as solely religious, pointing to drivers such as poor governance, resource competition and climate pressures. Several members urged the administration to fill senior Africa policy posts, restore or restart effective peacebuilding programs and ensure humanitarian aid for internally displaced persons.
The hearing included a brief video from a massacre survivor and testimony from civil society experts in a second panel, underscoring humanitarian urgency. The committee concluded with members asking for follow-up documentation and for the State Department to provide more detail on its action plan and the statutorily required International Religious Freedom report.
The subcommittee did not vote on legislation during the hearing; members said they expect additional oversight and follow-up briefings as the administration develops its plan.
